As I write this, surrounded by sorrow-drowning Burnley fans, I am looking out of the bar window as the Wolves players climb aboard their team bus.Beyond them, some of the Burnley players are heading to the car park. The difference in demeanour could hardly be greater. There is something utterly defining about the result of a football match.
Now, on the TV by the window, Burnley manager Brian Laws comes on to give his reaction to the match. The hubbub gets quieter as we strain to hear what Brian has to say. Managers tend to accentuate the positive, and he was certainly doing that. We created a lot of chances. We hit a bar and a post. Even when we went two down, we never gave up, and the goal we pulled back led to a concerted period of pressure and we might have got another. Oh, and if the referee had been in the right position we would have had a penalty (which, as Graham Alexander was on the pitch, we would have scored).
All that was true and it is part of a manager's job to keep spirits up. But the smile crossing his face as he spoke was in very stark contrast to the looks on the watching faces. These were not looks of hostility, but they were people questioning whether we really have what it takes to climb out of trouble.
Like Laws, I refuse to get too downhearted. We were not that bad, whatever the Match of the Day pundits say later. We were certainly getting more of the possession and creating more of the chances in the first half until ... until ... oh do I really have to describe the first Wolves goal? Suffice to say Tyrone Mears, one of our best players this season, will have many moments wondering why he headed the ball so feebly towards his goalkeeper, allowing Matthew Jarvis to nip in and score.
It was about their only chance, indeed shot on target, of the half. So a strong start to the second half and we were still in it ... Until ... Shot from outside the box, deflection from Clarke Carlisle, two nil, and the Pendle Hills suddenly became the Alps.
Laws is right though, that we never did give up, and we did get a goal, through Steve Thompson, and we could have scored another. Could have. How many times have I written those two words so far this season? Too many, I suspect.
Another word in Laws's defence. He got roundly booed when he took off Chris Eagles and Andre Bikey for Thompson and Robbie Blake. Eagles's name was being sung, the player studiously ignored the manager's expression of thanks for his contribution as he headed to the bench. But Blake did offer something more creative, including a shot against the side of a post, and Thompson did provide the goal.
I caught Wolves manager Mick McCarthy's pre-match interview in which he spoke of his impressions of our fans at the recent game at home to Stoke. He said there were a few moans and groans at half-time, even a few boos but they got behind the team in the second half, and roared them off the field when they pulled back to secure a point.
"I'd like to have played for fans like that," he said.
Today, though the fans remained broadly supportive, there were more boos at the end than at any time so far this season. More people leaving early too, always a bad sign.
But as Jeff Stelling has just said on Sky, we next have Wigan away followed by Blackburn at home. We have to win those, said the new Freeman of Hartlepool, honoured alongside Peter Mandelson this week. How wise. Jeff that is (though Peter is wise on matters political, if not football).
Someone has now turned the sound down because Owen Coyle has come on. Coyle on a four-nil Bolton win is the last thing anyone wants to see or hear.
Meanwhile, the man at the other end of the bar has just opined that we have conceded six points to Portsmouth and six points to Wolves. "What's the point of beating Man United if we can't beat teams like that?" I don't suppose he was saying that back in August. Then again, that does feel a long time ago.
He then goes into a rant about corners, pointing out - accurately I fear - that we have not scored a single goal from a corner in two seasons. The average in the Premier League is one from five he claimed.
"Look on the bright side Barry," his mate said. "We're still one of three clubs who have scored in every home game and the other two are United and Chelsea."
"Oh great," came the reply. "That'll keep us up."
The clock reads 6.16pm as the Wolves coach pulls away and things are getting a bit scratchy down here.
PS - Interesting shirt stat: Wolves were the first team at Turf Moor to have all played in short sleeves this season (apart from the keeper). And it was cold.
Their fans were good too.
